Sun Slayer
by CervantesOsis
Summary: While wandering Shinshu Field after getting out of Kamiki Village, Issun and Ammy happen across a young girl with incredible strength. Look out, Nippon, the Slayer is taking the land by storm...Buffy/Okami crossover
1. The Fair Haired Fighter

***Cervantes drops in, black cloak swirling.***

**Welcome, everyone, to the first Buffy/Okami crossover on the Net. I own neither of these, much to my chagrin. Joss Whedon owns Buffy, and Capcom owns Okami. Clover Studios used to own Okami, but they closed without warning.**

**Issun: I wonder why?**

**Buffy: Who cares? Let's get this party started!**

**

* * *

****Chapter One**

"**The Fair-Haired Fighter"**

A pair of travelers skirted the edge of the blackened part of the fields. This is common sense. Why would you WANT to travel into a patch of land literally turned black with little reason? Reinforcing this decision would be the statue in the middle of the black part. The statue that used to be a person, if you want to be specific. So yes, this wasn't an unusual thing for any traveler to do.

However, this particular pair of travelers was VERY unusual in virtually anything aside from their decision regarding where to go. The most noticable anomaly one would spot was that they looked nothing alike. The more notable member of the pair was a white wolf, whose coat almost literally gleamed in the midday sun. The only odd thing about the wolf – aside from its very presence – was the grey, ink-like swirls that curled around its tail. However, to those that were inclined to believe in spirits and such, more unusual things were visible. These things included a spinning disc on its back, along with red markings that ran up and down the length of its body. Odd tufts of fur decorated its shoulders and hips, as well. For some reason, it gave off an impression that it was female.

The wolf's companion was almost as unnotable as she was notable. But then, that could be explained by his size. The being in question was little more than an inch high, and sat ON the wolf's head. A faint green glow around him was almost the only thing that marked his location. If one looked close, one might also be able to see a large green headpiece, the only thing visible of the minute being. As the wolf wandered along the edge of the blackened area, he spoke, confirming his gender as male.

"So, Ammy, our destination is Hana Valley, right? We gotta go there to fix up a Guardian Sapling, and then...what? Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough." The wolf, apparently named 'Ammy', let out a small "whuf" in response. "Yeah, I know. That cursed zone creeps me out, too. But, until we can figure out what to do about it, we just gotta keep going on. Hana Valley shouldn't be too much farther."

Ammy sighed, a very human-like gesture. Her moment of distraction cost her, as a trio of green creatures carrying flutes leapt toward her. Her senses, however, were not to be denied. In a quick movement, the disc came off her back, and flew at the trio of attackers. It seemed to trail flames as it flew, and struck the attackers down. It flew around twice more, and the trio flew backwards. Ammy ran forward, the disc flying out. All three convulsed as the disc rammed into them again, and Ammy made a quick "slashing" motion with her tail. The three were suddenly carved in two, leaving six pieces on the ground. The pieces then vanished, leaving behind a grave of flowers, which soon disappeared. Ammy snorted, and her companion sprang off her head to collect the coins that their deceased attackers had left behind.

"I tell ya, Ammy, you're getting the hang of dealing with those imps. I'm surprised they had the courage to attack you, even if you were a bit distracted." Her companion's words were met by a "whuf" of annoyance. "Yeah, I know you're annoyed at getting attacked so often, but ya gotta deal with it. You're like a big, shining beacon to them, saying 'Attack Me!'. Still, only the foolish ones should. I mean, you've taken down so many of them, you'd think they would have gotten the message by now." The green headpiece tilted to one side as its owner did the same. "Or, maybe it's that you've killed so many, you haven't left enough for the story to spread. Maybe that's the reason. Oh, well, they can't hold a candle to you, anyway."

Ammy snorted agreement, as they continued. Progress came to a halt, however, upon her seeing that they weren't the only ones traveling. A figure ahead seemed to be heading in the same direction. The most striking thing about this figure was its hair. A pale yellow, it stood out here in a land where the norm was black. A sniff of the air revealed the figure's gender to be female, which her minute companion seemed to realize before she herself did.

"Whoa...a babe with pale hair? I NEED to meet her! Come on, Ammy, shake the lead out!" Ammy sighed again at her partner's antics...but went on the alert as she realized that the unknown woman was about to come under attack. A pair of the creatures from before were stalking the fair-haired girl...as well as a similar creature that carried an oversized mandolin as opposed to a flute. The creatures were obviously intent on marauding the girl. "Oh, no! Come on, Ammy, we have to help her!" Ammy agreed, beginning to run over. What happened next, however, stopped her in her tracks in amazement.

As one of of the flute-wielding imps came forward, intent on perhaps smacking her with the aforementioned instrument, the woman suddenly sidestepped, grabbing the offending imp's outstretched arm. She then bent it against the elbow with enough force to snap it, causing the imp to howl in pain. Its howl was cut off when the girl continued to bend the arm...and drove the flute it still carried through its chest. Impaled on its own weapon, the lesser demon fell over, dead before it hit the ground. Its kinsman attacked from behind, attempting to skewer her while she was distracted. A quick roundhouse kick dispelled any notion that she could be taken advantage of so easily. The kick broke several of the imp's ribs, and as it wheezed in pain, she brought her leg up, and drove her heel into its head, caving it in. It fell over to join its kin.

The mandolin-wielding imp, having seen what happened to its fellows, did something unusual for its kind. In a burst of intelligence, it brought the mandolin into a blocking position. It was a fact that any attacks against the imp from the direction it blocked would fail, and this would buy the imp time it needed to form a more concrete plan on how to deal with this unexpected annoyance. Sadly, the girl's next move wasn't against the imp itself. She grabbed hold of the mandolin, and ripped it from the imp's grasp. While it stared dumbly in shock, she brought the instrument down...crushing the imp beneath it. Owner and instrument faded into a grave of flowers.

Ammy and her companion stared in mutual shock. The whole...skirmish had taken less than 15 seconds. While it wasn't hard for Ammy herself to beat such a time, for a seemingly normal human to...it was unbelieveable. Finally, her small companion spoke.

"Holy...How did she DO that? I've never seen anyone fight like that, aside from you, Ammy." Ammy didn't reply at all; she was too busy staring in shock as the girl looked at where the imps had been...and then proceeded to start on a rant regarding the attack. Despite her amazement, Ammy couldn't help but sweatdrop at the girl's change from a deadly warrior to a typical loudmouthed teenager. Ammy walked forward, managing to catch part of the girl's rant.

"...and then I find myself in the middle of nowhere, and there's this big black area that looks oh-so-nasty, I don't even want to set foot in it, so I decide to walk around, see if there's anything I can do. But is that enough? NO! I have to get attacked by rejects from a bluegrass band! I swear, one more thing goes wrong, I'm REALLY going to string Whistler up by his ribcage." With that, she appeared to be finished. By this point, Ammy had walked up behind her, and it was then that her companion decided to speak up.

"If you can hang someone by their ribcage, I would pay to see it." The girl's reaction to the unexpected voice was to spin around in a roundhouse kick aimed at Ammy. Ammy jumped backwards, landing in a battle-ready crouch. The girl had brilliant green eyes, which was unusual, to say the least. The look on her face went from surprise to annoyance. She raised her head heavenward and began muttering.

"Of course, what day would be complete without being snuck up on by a wolf with weird markings and a disc floating on its back?" She sighed, and looked back at Ammy. "Not that I really care, but what kind of demon are you?"

"Demon?!" Her companion began hopping up and down in irritation, his green glow changing to red. He bounced off of her head, landing on the ground. "You'd best watch your mouth, girl, or we'll teach you some respect!"

If anything, the girl looked amused. "Have to admit, never seen a demon with a fairy bodyguard before." This served to incense the minute individual further.

"FAIRY?! Oh, you're asking for it, girl! Keep this in mind, the name's Issun, the wandering artist! And my trusty sword, Denkomaru, will make mincemeat out of -" Suddenly, Issun paused. The red glow faded back into green. "Hold it, hold it. Can you see Ammy's markings and her weapon?"

The girl arched an eyebrow in response. "Judging from the question, I'd say I shouldn't be able to, right? But yeah, they're pretty obvious to me."

"Interesting," Issun remarked. He hopped back onto Ammy's head. "Well, just to let you know, Ammy's no demon. She's a goddess. THE goddess, actually. Amaterasu, origin of all that is good and mother to us all."

The girl arched her eyebrow again. "Right...Sorry if I sound skeptical, it's just, I haven't had the best of luck with so-called 'goddesses' in my life. As a matter of fact, the last one I met tried to kill me. And my sister. And everyone in my town, in fact. Only way to save them was by jumping into a portal to Hell. Although, I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere, cause those monsters were too easy for this to really be 'Hell'." Amaterasu and Issun shared a glance.

"Portal to Hell? A goddess? Oh, I can already tell, THIS will be fun to try and understand." Issun's sarcasm was palpable. The girl giggled at the inch-high being's discomfort.

"Tell you what. I tell you my story, you tell me yours?" Issun considered this, then nodded.

"Fair deal. But before we get into all that, why don't you tell us your name, babe?"

The girl grinned. "Who, me? I'm Buffy. Buffy Summers."

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**Cervantes: Well, that's Chapter 1! All the main protagonists have been introduced, some more lovable than others.**

**Issun: Yeah, who would want a flat-chested broad like her, anyWHULP! *Buffy grabs him and begins beating the living [expletive deleted] out of him***

**Ammy: I don't think arms are supposed to bend that way. *wince***

**Cervantes: That's Buffy for you. Anyway, please R&R, everyone!  
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	2. The Coward and the Sapling

**Cervantes: Geez, took me two months to get this out. Sorry about that, ran into a horrid case of writer's block.**

**Issun: Bet you're just saying that to cover your rear.**

**Buffy: Careful, my little bouncing friend. You wouldn't want the author angry at you, ne?**

**Issun: You've been hanging out with Waka, haven't you?**

**Buffy: He's cool, unlike YOU.**

**Ammy: Can it, you two. Cervantes needs to do the disclaimer.**

**Cervantes: Thanks, Ammy. *ahem* I don't own either series represented here. Joss Whedon owns Buffy, and Capcom currently owns Okami. Used to be Clover, until they closed. Ah well. On with the story!**

**

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****Chapter 2**

"**The Coward and the Sapling"**

Buffy listened intently to the story Issun wove, and when he was finished, she nodded. "Okay, just to sum up: You were assigned by a...well-endowed wood sprite..." Here she cocked an eyebrow at Issun, who had used quite a different phrase to describe the sprite in question. "...to travel around this field to revive her saplings and restore her strength. Did I hear all that right?" When Issun nodded in the affirmative, she sighed. Then, she spoke again. "Well, I guess you can count me in on this."

Issun and Ammy blinked...although in Issun's case, it was hard to tell. "Come again, babe? Whaddya mean, 'count you in'?"

"Did I stutter? I mean, I'm going to help you with this. I was obviously brought here for a reason, and I figure it might just be to help you and Ammy out in this quest of yours. After all, I jumped into that portal thinking I was going to die, yet here I am," she explained.

Issun and Ammy traded glances. "About that portal, babe, you promised us your story in exchange for ours, remember? So spill. What's your deal?"

Buffy sighed, and nodded. She explained the events that had led up to her leaping into the portal. How Glory, the demented hell-goddess, had kidnapped her sister Dawn. How Dawn was actually an interdimensional lockpick known as the Key. How Glory had used Dawn's blood to open the portal in question, and how the goddess was subsequently defeated. How Buffy, rather than let her sister die, had taken the fall herself. She had fully expected to die, but instead, had found herself on the edge of the cursed zone in Shinshu field. She had been there about a day before meeting up with the two.

When she was finished, Issun was shaking his head in disbelief. "Babe, no offense, but that is one of the CRAZIEST stories I've ever heard. You honestly expect me to believe that pile of wolf crap?" Ammy growled slightly at that comment.

Buffy, on the other hand, took it in stride. "Hey, spend ten minutes in my hometown at night, and you'll be singing a different tune. Trust me, a hell-goddess using my sister as a trigger for a portal is just par for the course where I'm from. I understand you don't believe me, but that doesn't make what I've said any less true."

Issun looked about ready to protest further, but Ammy silenced him with a meaningful growl. "What, you believe her, Ammy?" Ammy nodded, and then collapsed into a furry puddle as Buffy, giving in to temptation, started scratching her behind the ears.

"Nice to know SOMEone believes me," the girl remarked, withdrawing the offending hand after a few seconds. Ammy recovered, and then motioned for Buffy to follow. They progressed to a house where a man chopped wood outside. The man apparently had no name, which rather surprised Buffy. He cautioned them about Hana Valley, and mentioned that someone had already passed by, not too long ago. Buffy and Issun thanked him, then proceeded into the cave where Hana Valley was.

The bleak air of Hana Valley was an unwelcome change from the relatively fresh air of the field. The landscape was as bleak as the air. The most notable thing was the water. Instead of blue, as Buffy expected, it was a sickly black.

"What is this, a cursed zone?" Buffy was rather confused at the landscape.

"No, but it's affected by one. Major difference is that if we were in a cursed zone, you'd be a statue, and Ammy here would be weakening at a rather rapid pace. Here, we'll be fine, although I wouldn't suggest drinking that water." Issun's explanation was met with a nod, and a snort from both of his companions at the last comment.

They soon stumbled across a campfire...with imps being the guests. Buffy and Ammy immediately went on guard. The following fight was so short and simple, neither of them broke a sweat. Buffy was rather impressed with Ammy's method of flinging her mirror as a weapon, while both Issun and Ammy were treated to another display of Buffy's astonishing skill. Within seconds, the imps were slaughtered.

"You know, if this is all we have to fight, I'm sorely tempted to call up whoever these wimps belong to and ask them what they intend to do with such inept help," Buffy commented. Nearby, part of the water seemed to brighten for a moment, but it quickly resumed its bleak appearance. The trio was rather surprised by this.

"What's going on? We beat the monsters, so why hasn't the curse lifted?" Issun was rather confused.

Buffy sighed. "I think we need to find the source of the evil here in the Valley and deal with that rather than trying to defeat the symptoms." Ammy nodded, and Issun did as well.

"Good plan, ba-" Before he could finish, Buffy plucked him off of Ammy's head, and held him at eye-level.

"Issun, I have a name, and I would much rather you call me by my name as opposed to 'babe'. I don't much care for it, and it will save you some pain in the long run. Get my drift?" She cracked the knuckles in her free hand for added emphasis. Although it was hard to tell, Buffy could tell Issun had gone rather pale.

"Got it!" the miniature being squeaked. Buffy nodded, satisfied, and put him back on Ammy's head. The wolf made a series of 'whufs' that Buffy could swear was an attempt at snickering on Ammy's part. Issun picked up on this, too.

"Laugh it up, furball! You weren't the one being held by a sadistic, psychopathic, flat-chested -" He was cut off again, this time by Ammy, as she flipped her head, and caught him within her mouth. This was as much a safety measure for Issun as it was a block against his voice. Buffy had been looking somewhat murderous at Issun's words, but seemed to calm down.

"You know what, Ammy? I think I'll leave disciplining him to you." Ammy smiled, and then spat the miniature being out. Needless to say, he wasn't happy.

"WOULD YOU STOP THAT?! Geez, wolf slobber is hell on my clothes." Ammy and Buffy snickered again, but their humor was short-lived as they spotted a tree that was visibly moving. Without warning, a fruit on the tree began glowing. It spun around...and hurled the fruit right at them. Buffy blinked, and kicked the fruit right back at it. Although it wasn't physically possible, she could have sworn she saw stars circling the tree when the fruit hit, and it ceased moving in a hostile manner.

"Nice one, ba-Buffy," Issun quickly corrected at the glare Buffy directed at him. They repeated this several more times on more moving trees, alternating between Buffy kicking the fruit, and Ammy deflecting it without touching it. Buffy was beginning to think that there may be something to Issun's earlier claim that Ammy was a god.

Suddenly they were ambushed by a pair of green imps...but the earth was moving as well. A yellow clad imp burst from the ground, holding an oversized drum. It just as quickly burrowed back underground.

"Lovely, an imp pretending to be a mole," Buffy sighed. "Ammy, can you take these two? I'll handle our burrowing friend." At Ammy's nod, Buffy closed her eyes. One of the green imps attempted to take advantage of this...and was thwarted as Ammy rammed into it. Ammy quickly dispatched the two green imps, and turned...just in time to see Buffy pull the yellow imp out of the ground, smash it into the ground several times, and then break its neck with a powerful kick. Buffy rested a moment.

"Well, he was bigger than his friends, but still not much of a challenge," she commented, mock-sadly. Ammy gave her a wolfish grin. All three of them jumped when a different voice broke in.

"What's all the racket?" A large, somewhat balding man walked towards them. He frowned at Ammy. "Oh, it's you, mutt! What are you doing here? I already told you, I'm not looking for apprentices!" He then noticed Buffy, who was looking at him...or rather, at his sword. His _wooden_ sword.

_That is sad_, Buffy thought. _I used a real sword when I was 17. This guy has to be twice my age, and using a wooden sword. That is sadness personified._ She broke out of her reverie when she realized the man was addressing her.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I wasn't paying much attention," she said, not in the least apologetic.

"But of course, fair lady!" the large man replied. "I am Susano, the greatest warrior ever! What could bring such a lovely flower to a place such as this?"

_'Greatest warrior' my patootie,_ Buffy thought. Out loud, she said, "Name's Buffy. And I'm here on my own business, as you are doubtless on yours, oh 'great warrior'." Issun snickered, clearly having heard the sarcasm in the address.

Susano, however, did not. "Indeed. Hana Valley is home to my secret training ground. With the monsters roaming the land unchecked, it's the perfect place for me to hide -" He paused, then coughed. "-Ahem. To train. And I'm afraid I don't have time for dogs or women at the moment, so scoot!" With that, he swung his wooden sword at the group, causing them to leap backward. Satisfied, he turned around...and began pushing against what seemed to be a solid stone.

"Talk about an exercise in futility," Buffy muttered. Ammy, meanwhile, had noticed a mural on the stone wall nearby. It looked as though the people used a crystal sphere to power a tree's growth. Scanning the painting, she noticed something was missing: the sun wasn't where it must have been in the upper right corner. Deciding to fix that, she raised her tail, and drew a circle in the air that, from her perspective, fit the empty space perfectly. An image appeared on the mural, a spiral with several jagged lines coming off of it.

Suddenly, the same symbol appeared on the stone that Susano had been pushing against. With a thunderous CRACK! the stone broke apart, revealing a passageway further into the valley. Everyone was rather startled at this.

"Wh-what the?!" Susano seemed dumbfounded. "How did...? Ah well." He recovered rather quickly. "Now I can go hide – er, that is, train." He ran into the new passage. Buffy shook her head.

"If HE's the greatest warrior ever, then I'm a long-lost daughter of a local queen," she said definitively.

Issun couldn't help but agree. "He's the descendant of a famous warrior. I'm afraid it goes to his head, sometimes."

The trio headed down the passage that Susano had gone through. When they came to a clearing, they stopped. "Huh, wonder where Mr. Coward went?" Buffy commented. Looking around the clearing, she saw a small sapling in the middle. Behind it was what appeared to be an altar of some kind. There was a crack in the mountains that would have allowed the sun to shine through...had the sun been shining.

Issun zipped over to the small sapling. "What's with this? It has Sakuya's scent on it!"

"Sakuya? The wood sprite you mentioned before?" Buffy asked.

"That's the one. Why would her scent be on this tiny thing, though?"

Ammy had walked up behind the altar, looking into the crack in the mountains. Raising her tail, she drew a circle in the air. To Buffy's shock, the sun started shining. Nothing else happened, however.

"Huh...guess we're missing something," Issun said.

Buffy nodded. "Wasn't there some sort of crystal sphere in that mural?"

"You're right. Guess we need to hunt for it," Issun replied.

Smashing their way through a rotting gate, they proceeded down a passage off to the side of the clearing. When they reached the end of it...

"Raaar!"

The trio blinked as they saw Susano brandishing his sword. "Now what?" grumbled Issun.

Susano answered, although indirectly. "You...You foul beast! How did you get in here?!"

"Foul beast?" Buffy asked, and looked past the so-called warrior...and was sorely tempted to face-fault. As it was, she couldn't restrain the big sweatdrop that rolled down the side of her head.

Susano's 'foul beast' was a bear, balanced on top of a sphere, and fast asleep. How such a feat was possible, Buffy didn't know, and wasn't keen on finding out.

Susano, however, wasn't paying that much attention. "You have some nerve, sneaking into my private training ground! Now you shall get a taste of my new secret technique!" With that, he went into a stance, aiming at one of the four torches in the room. "Susano-Style SUSANO!!" he yelled. Buffy noticed Ammy raising her tail, and poising it as if to slash with it.

"SU!" Susano slashed the torch; moments later, it split apart due to an unseen force.

"SA!" Another torch was cut in twain.

"NO!" A third torch fell.

"SUSANO!" The last torch was sliced in two, casting the room in semi-darkness.

"Now for Susano-style...Exploding Implosion!" With that, Susano struck at the bear. It woke up under the slash...and promptly fell asleep again, toppling off of the sphere as it did so.

Susano seemed briefly startled...but recovered quicker than thought. "Hm? Aha ha ha ha ha ha! That'll teach you, foolish beast! You're no match for my secret technique!"

Buffy watched with a half-lidded stare. "Just to clarify...he just beat up a sleeping bear, right?"

Issun nodded. "Yes. Yes he did."

"And he's celebrating that fact?"

"Yes."

There was a moment of silence.

"How sad...I doubt even Cordelia could find the words to mock this, and she's extremely good at demeaning everyone."

This seemed to register on Susano's mind, as he put his sword back in its place on his back. He coughed a little. "Um...uh...rest in peace, foul beast. The great warrior Susano condemns the offense, not the offender. Anyway, there are other monsters I must deal with! Aha ha ha ha ha ha!" And with that proclamation, he ran out of the cave.

For a moment, Buffy looked after him. "'Condemns the offense, not the offender', huh? Yeah, right. He was probably so embarrassed about beating on a helpless animal, he couldn't come up with anything better."

"I think you've got it, Buffy," Issun agreed. Ammy was inspecting the sphere that the bear had fallen off of. She 'whuf'ed a little to get their attention. Issun and Buffy looked at the sphere as well.

"Hm...Hey, Issun. Doesn't this look like the sphere in that mural? The one Ammy drew the sun on?" Buffy asked.

"Yeah, it does...Well, let's get it back to the altar, and see what happens from there."

So they rolled the sphere over to the altar, and rolled it over a small puddle. As soon as they did, the sphere was lifted up by a geyser of water, holding it in position.

"Okay, now try calling the sun again, Ammy," Issun said. With a nod, Ammy did so. Unlike before, when nothing else happened, the crystal sphere caught the sun's rays. It then cast a greenish light over the small sapling. The sapling suddenly began to grow at an amazing rate, becoming a full-grown tree in mere seconds. There was, however, one thing...

"It's dead," Buffy said, noting the tree's total lack of blossoms or leaves.

"Yeah, it is," agreed Issun. "I wonder why...?" Suddenly, the area around them went dark. "Hey! Who turned out the lights?" A glow came from above leading them to look into the suddenly star-covered sky. "Oh, I see! It's a new constellation!"

Buffy looked at Issun in confusion. "What does astrology have to do with anything?"

"Astro-what? Constellations embody the spirits of the 13 brush gods, Buffy. Whenever Ammy completes a constellation, she gains a new power. I wonder what this one is..." Issun trailed off as two stars winked into existence where they hadn't been before. Now that Buffy looked, she could make out a pattern...

Suddenly, the set of stars began to glow, and Ammy, Issun, and Buffy were suddenly seemingly hundreds of feet above the ground. "Yah! What the-?!" she exclaimed.

"Relax, we won't fall here. This is a representation of the Celestial Plain, or something similar to it. Trust in the gods, Buffy."

As he said that, the glowing constellation suddenly flashed, and something whirled down to meet them. It was...a monkey with a large ornate harp. It posed on one leg when it stopped spinning, then noticed its audience. Sheepishly, it began playing its harp.

"Ah, Amaterasu...Origin of all that is good and mother to us all..." it began. Buffy, who had dealt with stranger things than a talking monkey, said nothing. "My gratitude for releasing my body from its slumber. Please accept my humble thanks in return for your great kindness. I am Sakigami, one of the triumvirate of flora gods known as the Hanagami. My brethren and I have been entrusted with the brush techniques known collectively as Greensprout. I now grant my humble power to you. Use it wisely."

With that, Sakigami transformed into a glowing kanji character, and flew into Ammy's body. The aerial plain disappeared, and they were back in front of the Guardian Sapling. Issun hopped up and down in excitement. "Coolness! That was Sakigami, one of the gods of flora! From what I hear, the Bloom brush technique can make even dead trees bloom again."

"Then let's give it a whirl, okay Ammy?" Buffy asked. Nodding, the wolf drew a circle around the withered Sapling. In an instant, the tree was in full bloom, sakura petals falling from its boughs. As amazing as that was, what happened next dwarfed it.

The falling petals were drawn inward for a moment, almost as if the tree was taking a deep breath. Then, in an explosion of power, they flew outward, and in their wake, the landscape changed. The dull grey ground became green, the dirty water became blue and clear, and even the grey sky brightened. Buffy looked on with wide eyes. She had never seen a demonstration of such power. In her amazement, she could only thing of one thing to say. "Holy cow..."

Issun, although she couldn't see it, was grinning like an idiot. "Told you. That's called Divine Intervention. And only a goddess like Ammy could pull it off."

Buffy looked at him, then at Ammy. "My apologies for ever doubting your godhood." Ammy just 'whuf'ed repeatedly, giving the impression that the wolf was chuckling.  


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**  
Cervantes: Wow. About half again as many words as the last chapter. This is more like what I'm usually writing: huge, epic chapters.**

**Issun: And we care, why?**

**Ammy: Because he's the author, and we don't get action if he doesn't write a lot.**

**Issun: Point.**

**Buffy: I have to admit, the last scene is awesome. Even Cordy would be speechless.**

**Cordelia: Would not!**

**Cervantes: *blinks* How did you get here?**

**Cordelia: Bribed your so-called 'guard' with some booze.**

**Cervantes: Remind me to fire Susano and get an actual security force. Please R&R, people! Flames will be used to fuel my train.  
**


	3. Crossing the Knoll

**Cervantes: Well, at least this one didn't take two months to come out. Still, sorry about the delay, folks!**

**Issun: Still trying to cover your rear, eh?**

**Cervantes: Cut me some slack, here! RL is hectic, in more than one way.**

**Buffy: It's alright, Cerv, not all of us are judgmental morons who can't see past the end of their oversized hats.**

**Issun: Why you-!**

**Ammy: Before a fight breaks out, allow me to say that Cervantes doesn't own Okami or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They are the property of Capcom (formerly of Clover Studios) and Joss Whedon respectively.**

**Cervantes: Thanks, Ammy! On with the show!**

**

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****Chapter 3**

"**Crossing the Knoll"**

Buffy, Ammy, and Issun made their way out of the valley. Back in Shinshu field, they encountered the Nameless Man, who was staring at the newly-cleansed river in confusion.

"Freaky. It looks like the river suddenly cleared up. I did see Susano whizzing past here a little while ago...but surely it wasn't him who did this?"

"He wishes," Buffy muttered, just loud enough for everyone else to hear. Issun stifled a snort.

"Yeah, you're right, that wouldn't make sense," the Nameless Man said. "It's been ages since I've seen the river looking so healthy. That magic crystal ball must be working its mojo."

Buffy nodded. "Yeah, and take a look at the valley when you get a chance. You wouldn't recognize it at all!"

"I might just do that, gal. Well, I suppose it's back to chopping wood for me." He wandered back to his house, and began doing just that. The trio headed over to the withered Sapling in the middle of the field, and as with the one in Hana Valley, Ammy drew a circle around it. It quickly burst into bloom, sakura petals falling from its boughs.

Again, the tree seemed to draw in a breath, and then the falling petals exploded outward. This time, though, the effect seemed even more amazing, as there was much more to see here. The already clean river was soon surrounded by grassy green banks, and the black mist that hung over much of the field was blown away. Buffy shook her head in wonder. "You know, I don't think I'll ever get tired of that. What else can Ammy do, turn night into day?"

Issun chuckled. "Actually, she can. Remember how she called the sun in Hana Valley? If she does that at night, time accelerates, and then it's daytime in no time flat."

Buffy nodded. "Bet that plays hell with people's sleeping schedules."

"Well, they get confused, but no one ever really complains. They chalk it up to the work of the gods."

"Not too far wrong, are they?"

"Nope, not at all."

Further conversation was interrupted as a massive tree in the distance suddenly seemed to grow quite a bit, and sprouted leaves. "Hey, that's Sakuya's tree! Konohana!" said Issun, amazed. "Guess she's feeling a lot better, now that two of her saplings are healed."

Buffy nodded. "Well, can we drop by her tree later? I'm a bit bushed at the moment, and I want to explore the field. Didn't get much of a chance before, what with dropping in near a curse zone."

Issun considered this. "How tired are you?"

She gave him a level stare. "I hadn't slept for some time before jumping into that portal, because I was worried sick about my sister. And I didn't sleep when I first got here because of adrenaline. That's worn off now, and I'm not that worried anymore since that hell-goddess is dead, so now I'm REALLY tired." Indeed, she seemed to be swaying slightly on her feet.

Issun nodded. "Okay, a break is definitely in order then, because I doubt you'll be of much help like that. What do you think, Am-Oh, never mind," he muttered as he noticed Ammy was already curling into a ball to snooze. "I suppose I'll spend some time drawing. If I run out of paper, though, I'm going to use your faces."

As Buffy collapsed near Ammy, she smirked. "Only if you want to find out how far I can throw you, Issun." Issun squeaked slightly at the comment, and Buffy chuckled before falling asleep.

* * *

Sometime during the night, Buffy woke up slightly, confused. This didn't feel like her bed...Then she remembered. She was sleeping on the ground of Shinshu field, not in her own bed. She sighed, and adjusted her position on her pillow. Then she mentally blinked. _Waitaminute, pillow?_ She cracked an eye open.

Apparently, she and Ammy had shifted around in the night, and she was now using the wolf's stomach as a pillow. Ammy didn't seem to mind, if her peacful snoring was any indication. Buffy smiled a little. _She may be a goddess, but she can feel content, just like any person. Makes me wish I could understand wolf._

Nearby, she heard some scratching sounds, more than likely Issun drawing away. Occasionally, there would be a slightly muffled curse, and some more furious scritching before resuming normal pace. _Correcting mistakes, no doubt. I haven't actually seen any of his sketches yet, come to think of it. Maybe I'll ask him to show me one sometime..._

"Holy Ponc'tan, what the heck is that?!" Issun's cry had the effect of startling both Ammy and Buffy into full awareness, as they sprang to their feet.

"What's the matter, Issun?" she asked, looking around in the slight gloom.

"Look over there!" The miniature being seemed to be pointing over to a patch of darkness across the river. Buffy gave her eyes a minute to adjust, and looked over herself. In the gloom she could make out a dim form. It looked like a decorative gate, like the ones you'd find in backyards. But this one wasn't going to win any beauty contests anytime soon. It looked old and decayed, and moreover, green flames surrounded it.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that thing's evil," Buffy commented. This was met with a snort from Issun.

"Could you be any more obvious? That thing's a Devil Gate. We may have gotten rid of the curse zone, but those things are like storehouses for evil energy, sort of like those patches of grass in Hana Valley, remember?"

Buffy nodded. On their way out of the valley, they had found a patch of grass that still seemed to hold some of the evil power. Using the Bloom technique, Ammy had purified them, releasing the parts of the valley that the evil power had hidden. They had also purified the evil trees, the ones that threw fruit at them.

"I'm guessing that using Bloom on that thing won't work, right?" she asked.

"Nah, to deal with this thing, we have to go through the gate, and deal with the monsters that live in its pocket dimension," came the reply.

"Right, let's go," Buffy said, sauntering over. Ammy followed, and together, the three slipped under the gate.

The battle was rather anti-climactic. Green and red imps attempted to get the drop on them...'attempted' being the key word. Buffy and Ammy's keen senses, however, gave them a huge advantage. Buffy used one red imp's mandolin as an effective weapon, crushing a few green imps before caving in the skull of its owner. Ammy stuck to her tactic of hurling her reflector – as Buffy had learned it was called – at the monsters. All in all, it took about ten seconds for the whole group of imps to be slain.

When all was said and done, the pocket dimension broke, and the three were presented with the sight of a kiln appearing seemingly out of thin air. Buffy looked at it in approval. "This must be the workshop that the Nameless Man said was lost."

"Guess so. Let's pay him a visit, it's nearly morning anyhow." Indeed, the sun was beginning to peek out from the horizon. As the group approached the Nameless Man's house, he came out, looking around. When he saw what had appeared across the river, he blinked...and then charged across the bridge, nearly bowling the trio over as he did so.

"OOF! Hey, watch it!" Issun yelped. Buffy knew that the man was probably glad to have his workshop back, and didn't say anything as she jumped out of the way. The man looked at the kiln, almost not believing it...and then turned to the three.

"Don't know how you three did it, but many thanks! My workshop vanished when that black mist came in, and now it's back. Drop by anytime, and I'll make you some good pieces of pottery!"

"Might take you up on that one of these days," Buffy said kindly. The Nameless Man nodded. Then he tilted his head.

"You all are fighters, aren't you?" When he received a nod from Buffy, he continued. "I follow the path of peace, friends, but if fighting's what you're into, I suggest finding Onigiri Sensei. His dojo's over thataways." He pointed over to some hills a fair distance away.

"Thanks, we'll look into it," Buffy replied. She set out in the direction he'd indicated, Ammy following with Issun riding on her head. They passed a couple of evil patches of grass that Ammy purified, one of which concealed a monument of sorts. Eventually they came across what seemed to be Onigiri's dojo...with another devil gate in front. After clearing that one out, a pond formed in the dojo's front yard, complete with bridge.

"Yeesh, I'm beginning to get tired of imps," Buffy complained.

"You, what about us? We've been dealing with these things longer than you have," Issun countered.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," she sighed as she opened the door to the dojo. The entrance was very traditional in appearance. Bamboo grew in neat stalks against the walls. The foreground was a sand-covered floor which ended in a wooden deck. At the back of the deck stood a door, which was framed by two statues of monks.

In front of the door stood an elderly man, hunched over his cane with age. Perhaps he was a caretaker while Onigiri-Sensei was out. As the trio approached, he turned around, revealing a pleasant face with a huge handlebar mustache and chin. "Ho ho! What do we have here?"

Buffy bowed respectfully. "My name's Buffy Summers, sir. This wolf is Amaterasu, and the miniature person on her head is Issun, the wandering artist."

"Hey, there!" Issun greeted.

"I see. So what brings a young lady, a wolf, and a miniature person to this dojo?"

"We're looking for Onigiri-Sensei, is he in?"

The old man chuckled. "You're looking at him, young lady. Why do you ask?" His eyes narrowed for a moment. "Surely you three can't intend to become students."

"Actually, we are," Buffy said. "If there's any fee, I'm pretty sure we can spot it..."

"10,000 yen," the old man said simply. Issun sighed, but pulled out a bag of yen that somehow grew to a much larger size. Buffy blinked, but didn't dwell on it. After all, she'd seen stranger things. "Well, now!" Onigiri-Sensei said, a bit amazed. "I'm impressed! I guess I can take you on as my students. Aaaaaaaah...OOOOH!"

With that exclamation, the hunched-over man suddenly straightened, standing taller than Buffy now, and – to Buffy's everlasting confusion afterwards – his _head_ rolled sideways on his neck, until it had flipped completely over, turning the handlebar mustache and chin into a massive set of eyebrows and forehead. Buffy glanced at Issun and Ammy. Issun wasn't bouncing, or doing anything. Ammy, on the other hand, looked as gobsmacked as Buffy herself felt.

"Waaah...Are you mentally prepared to face the ultimate challenge?!" Onigiri-sensei howled. The door behind him opened, seemingly on its own. "Step inside to test your might!"

* * *

Buffy was grinning later that day. A nice back-breaking spar was exactly what she had needed. Looking at her companions, she couldn't help but giggle at their discomfort. Issun was groaning, obviously not used to the physical hardship. Ammy was better off, but was still feeling the workout, if the ginger way she was moving was any indication.

"Oh, come on! You two can't be all that tired!" she teased.

"Shut it...you...sadist..." Issun retorted. "I swear...you can't...be human..." Ammy whined, seemingly in agreement.

"Please, I just keep in shape, that's all. Kind of a requirement of living where...I'm...from..." Buffy trailed off, gazing across the slope that they had reached the top of. Before them lay a rather breathtaking sight.

A massive lake dominated the bottom of the slope, seeming to stretch even beyond the horizon. The crystalline waters were definitely beautiful, and it looked like the perfect setting. But Buffy's keen senses told her otherwise. She could _feel_ the evil coming from the lake. It wasn't the kind of demented, careless evil she had felt from the hell-goddess Glory, nor the uncaring evil aura that Angelus, her vampiric lover, had had. This was a malevolent aura that she hadn't felt since she had confronted the ancient Master atop Sunnydale High, an aura of pure evil. And it was as strong now as it was then...and she knew she was nowhere near the site of the evil's source. _If it's that strong from here...what's it like closer to the lake?_ she wondered. A sudden nudge from Ammy brought her back to Earth.

"You okay, Buffy?" Issun asked. His voice had a hint of concern in it. "You kinda zoned out there for a minute."

"Just...looking at the lake," she said, half-truthfully. She drew her gaze closer to the water's edge, where she saw something somewhat peculiar. "What's the deal with the path there? It goes under that gate into the water, and then...it's gone." Indeed, a pathway DID lead from the shore into the lake...and vanished as it passed under a huge red gatepost.

"That's the path to the Moon Cave," Issun explained. "It's supposed to look like that, so that people don't go nosing around where they shouldn't."

Buffy looked at the inch-high being curiously. "Why would a cave need that kind of protection?"

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know," Issun said.

"And satisfaction brought it back. What's the deal?" Buffy was curious, but not because of the cave. She wanted to know what was IN the cave that was giving her Slayer sense such an awful vibe.

Issun sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you. Pull up a seat, and try to get comfy." When Buffy had sat down on a nearby rock, he began.

"The whole story starts over 100 years ago, when the nearby village of Kamiki was under the shadow of a demonic 8-headed serpent named Orochi. In true demon-beast fashion, Orochi had a sacrifice brought to him every year from the village. Always, it was the fairest maiden living there at the time. 99 maidens he devoured, and that's just from Kamiki. No one knows – and I'm sure they don't care – how he sustained himself for the rest of the year.

"100 years ago, a white wolf appeared in Kamiki. Many people shunned the wolf, thinking it Orochi's familiar. Because of its pure white fur, it was dubbed Shiranui by the village folk. It prowled around the village, and hardly anyone dared impede it, for fear of invoking Orochi's wrath. One person, however, tried several times to kill Shiranui. That person was Nagi, a renowned warrior."

Issun paused briefly in his narration. "Nagi," he said with distaste, "is the ancestor of Susano, the buffoon we met in Hana Valley."

Buffy snorted. "I can't see it. If he's the descendant of a renowned warrior, why does he act like a coward?"

"Who knows?" Issun shrugged, and continued his story.

"Nagi, as I said, attempted several times to kill Shiranui. But, the white wolf was always too crafty for him. In time, the date of the sacrifice came again, and Orochi marked the home of Nami, the fairest maiden in the village, and Nagi's significant other. Nagi, enraged by the serpent's decision, decided to confront Orochi, and end his reign of terror.

"Of course, a demonic serpent is no easy task to kill, and when Nagi confronted Orochi, the battle quickly turned against the warrior. Things were looking grim for Nagi, and the village of Kamiki as a whole. But just before Orochi could strike the final blow, something came between the serpent and Orochi, intercepting the blow.

"It was none other than Shiranui, the white wolf that had prowled around Kamiki. It wasn't a familiar of Orochi after all, but an enemy of the Demon. Shiranui took over the battle, and Nagi retreated to a corner to rest. The battle between Shiranui and Orochi has gone down in legend as one of the greatest of all time."

Issun was in his element now, telling the story as though he'd told it countless times before. Buffy found herself enraptured by the minute being's storytelling, eagerly awaiting what would happen next.

"Shiranui, it seemed, had the gods' powers on his side. Whenever Orochi attempted to breathe fire or poison at him, a divine wind blew the flames and foul air in another direction. Orochi attempted to bite at Shiranui, but trees sprouted out of nowhere, and blocked his path. Nothing Orochi did seemed to have any effect on the white wolf.

"All the same, Orochi was protected by a magical barrier, and Shiranui, for all his efforts, couldn't break it. In the end, Shiranui tired, and was left easy prey for Orochi. Just when things looked their bleakest, Shiranui threw back his head and howled. When he did, the clouds above the Moon Cave parted, revealing the golden moon above. At that moment, Nagi's sword glowed with a brilliant gold color.

"Having been forgotten by Orochi in the face of Shiranui's attack, Nagi caught the serpent flat-footed. Channeling all his strength into his battered arms, Nagi sliced off one head after another, and finally killed the serpent. Nagi had kept his promise; he'd freed Kamiki Village from Orochi's rule, and saved Nami in the process.

"The news wasn't all good, though. Shiranui hadn't been able to dodge all of Orochi's poison, and had collapsed at the end of the battle. Nagi carried him back to the village, but by that time, it was too late. Orochi's poison had done its damage, and Shiranui was barely breathing. He gave one last pitiful whimper, and died. In Shiranui's honor, the people made a statue of him, placing it at the base of Konohana, that huge tree we saw earlier."

"And that's how it was," Issun concluded. Ammy had listened to the story as well, and gave a bark of approval.

Buffy, however, was looking at Ammy in a new light. "You said the gods were on Shiranui's side, right? Sounds like Ammy here..."

Issun nodded. "That's right. Ammy is actually the statue of Shiranui, animated by Sakuya, the spirit of the Konohana tree. She's Shiranui reborn, but most of her techniques were lost during the hundred years since Orochi's fall. The only technique she knew when she was reanimated was her own, the Sunrise."

Buffy frowned. "And judging by the way everything's going to pot, I'm guessing that she's not the only thing that's returned, right?"

Issun sighed. "That's the truth, unfortunately. Orochi seems to be back as well, though he was supposed to have been sealed by Nagi's sword, the Tsukuyomi."

"Which means someone removed it," Buffy speculated. Ammy 'whufed' in agreement.

"Seems that way. You still in on this?" Issun asked, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"You bet!" Buffy smirked. "After all, you guys are my friends...and friends help each other with things, be it shopping, storytelling, or killing ancient demonic serpents."

Issun laughed long and hard. "Well then, let's get a move on! We still have a few places left to explore here in Shinshu Field."

* * *

**Cervantes: Phew! Few more chapters like this, and I'll be well on my way to having 100,000 words.**

**Issun: Which means more action for us.**

**Buffy: Glad to see you've seen the light, my little bouncing friend.**

**Issun: You've DEFINITELY been hanging around Waka too much.**

**Ammy: Before anyone asks this, I'll go ahead and answer it. Cervantes originally intended to write Shinshu Field out all in one chapter, but decided it was way too long to do. After all, there are so many things to do, doing them all takes a fair amount of game time. So, he's split it into two chapters. Next time, I'll get my next Celestial Brush technique, and we make a trip to the mysterious Moon Cave.**

**Cervantes: Thanks for that little tidbit, Ammy.**

**Buffy: I was wondering what happened next.**

**Cordelia: Can anyone tell me WHY Ammy can talk here, while she can't in the fic or the game?**

**Issun: And can anyone tell me why YOU'RE still hanging around?**

**Cordelia: Boredom.**

**Cervantes: If I answer your question, will you make yourself useful here?**

**Cordelia: Fine, sure.**

**Cervantes: Ammy can talk here because I believe that having a mute main character is a little too complex to write out all the time, so I'm relieving the stress here. Now will you do the honors?**

**Cordelia: Might as well...*ahem* Please Read and Review, everyone, if you don't want to find me with a rifle in your room!**

**Buffy: And you KNOW how bad her aim is...  
**


End file.
